Blog Stats

Archive for the ‘Microsoft’ Category

The iDesk concept which has been designed and rendered by Adam Benton and takes a look at what desks may hold for the future. The iDesk concept is an entirely adaptable workspace that doesn’t just contain your computer and documents. But enhances their functionality by allowing them all to interact with each other, in a similar vein to Microsoft’s Surface technology.

By placing objects on to the iDesk surface, devices, images and data can easily be transferred from your smartphone, tablet or camera directly to your desktop computer and vice versa. The desktop would become an additional working space to your monitor screen, and enable you to arrange and view documents as if they were paper placed on a traditional work surface.

iDesk’s designer Adam Benton explains:

“The desk could sync with your Mac or potentially have a Mac built in, perhaps with a portion of the desk’s surface angled upward to serve as a display. Tactile keyboards could likewise be replaced by a digital touch-sensitive version (endlessly configurable to your preferences for individual apps), and any part of the desk’s surface could be cordoned off as a trackpad area. Files could be transferred easily between Macs, iPhones, iPads, and so on by sitting the devices on the desk and swiping file icons across its surface from one device to the other.”

Even though Benton’s iDesk design is still a concept many of the features incorporated into the desk have already been showcased by larger technology firms, and hopefully we will begin to see them trickle down to affordable mainstream products very soon.

Microsoft has this week added its first game to Apple’s iTunes App Store, with the arrival of its Kinectimals game ono the iPad. Kinectimals was originally designed for the Xbox 360 and its Kinect motion controller, and has now made the jump to tablet devices.

Kinectimals allows players to interact with virtual animals in a manner akin to pets, gameplay includes activities such as teaching tricks to the animal, guiding the animal around an obstacle course, and free-form play.

Microsoft explains:

“This irresistible mobile experience gives you the chance to use your phone to visit the island of Lemuria and play with, care for and fall in love with your very own cub. Bring your pet with you wherever you go! If you’ve already experienced Kinectimals on Kinect for Xbox 360, your phone becomes the key to unlocking five new cubs on your console. Stand-alone mobile game features Kinectimals’ signature visual quality, delightful animation and brand new ways to play with your cub! “

Kinectimals for iPad is now available to download from the Apple iTunes Store for $2.99.

According to a recent report, Microsoft is working on a version of Microsoft Office for Apple’s iPad, in an attempt to take on Apple’s own Numbers, Pages and Keynote apps, and each app is expected to retail for around $10.

A focus on tablet content creation is something Microsoft and its partners seem to be slowly waking up to. CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed the company’s engineers were looking at how Office could be reworked in the Metro style of Windows 8 during Build 2011 earlier in the year, while NVIDIA’s president argued that an Office build for ARM-based Windows 8 tablets and notebooks would be “the killer app” for the platform.

It would make sense for Microsoft to release office applications for the iPad, considering it is still the most popular tablet at the moment.

“We reimagined Windows,” says Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows andWindows Live Division at Microsoft. Steven recently unveiled the touch-first user interface of Windows 8, along with a whole host of other new features.

User-friendly apps have been replaced by finger-friendly technology and devices. With the release of tablets (read: iPad), touch screen phones (er, iPhone) and the many high-grade features of today’s gadgets, the world is quite literally, at our fingertips.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Not to be outdone, Windows 8 has just upgraded to a more seamless, effortless operating system. Pulling all the stops, Microsoft made a massive overhaul of their existing operating system and introduced a brand new interface, new processor support and a host of other improvements. While what we know of Microsoft’s history revolves around computers and desktops, Windows 8 is taking it one step further and is jumping into the “touch screen” fray.

Windows 8 was designed to work on both the tablet and your traditional computers. While they have integrated the “touch” entity into their software, Windows 8 still gives you a feel of what the old Windows was, but with a better and more user-friendly environment that still retains their keyboard, mouse and pen input capability. Haven’t you noticed yet? Windows is designed to run on everything!

New Interface

The New Start Screen is one of its major improvements by showcasing Tiles upon start-up, which gives you direct access to your shortcuts and apps similar to the Windows Phone. The tiles then display updated notifications without having to click open the app (Such as seeing the weather forecast for the next few days in one tile). Multi-taskers will also have an easy time switching from one app to the other, without dealing with the hassle of closing windows to start up another application. Web-powered applications are built using HTML and JavaScript.

The interface uses Internet Explorer 10, which allows the user to switch tabs fluidly. Another great addition to the Windows 8 touch interface is the ergonomic design of the thumb keyboard to increase productivity. In this case, Windows has decided to make it easier for its user to use the QWERTY keyboard on your tablet! Notice how when the QWERTY keyboard appears they take up the entire lower portion of your tablet and your fingers need to move throughout the entire width just to type? Well not anymore. Windows has designed the QWERTY keyboard to be divided into two portions for easier access. The left part of the keyboard is available in a small cluster on your left hand side, and vice-versa. Typing made easy!

You can also use your existing Windows apps without any need to upgrade or buy new software. Power Point, Excel, Word and other MS Office applications will continue to remain compatible for users to enjoy. It’s working with something familiar yet enjoying the benefits of cool new upgrades, features and changes.

Microsoft may be at the tail end of all these great innovations (read: iPad) but that’s not to say they’re at the “losing” end. Why did they not capitalize on this before? Yes, they were one of the pioneers of the tablet (remember Windows’ version of a tablet based on Windows XP and pen input released in 2002?) Sadly, the name of the game is innovation and they never got a solid footing for the tablet market like Apple did, and this might be due to Bill Gates’ inability to design a new interface and thinking that a stylus and an XP operating system was enough.

It remains to be seen whether these host of improvements will indeed be all it has claimed to be. Will Windows 8 live up to the hype? Microsoft has been keeping mum on the exact release date of Windows 8, only releasing small teasers and tidbits that say it will be released in 2012. Whenever this may be, it’s definitely something to watch out for.